Submarine mine layer



March 24, 1931. M. F. icaumulcs A SUBMARINE MLNELAYER Filed oct. e, 1930 Patented Mar. 24, `1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAXIMILIAAN FREDERIK GUNNING, OF FLUSHING, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOE TO NAAMLOOZE VENNOOTSCHAP: KONINKLIJKE MAATSCHAPPIJ; DE SCHELDE SCHEEPS- BOUW-EN WERKTUIGENFABRIEK, OF FLUSHING, NETHERLANDS, A CORPORATON OF THE NETIEIEERLANI)Sr SUBMARINE MINE LAYER Application filed October 6, 1930, Serial No. 486,802, and in the Netherlands October 15, 1929.

The invention relates to a submarine- Ininelayer with a special mine-storage. n

Inthe known submarine-minelayers three different kinds of mine-storage are found. According to one of these the mines are arranged in tubes extending` through the pressure bodyv or through the auxiliary ballast tanks. Viith this construction the minesare continuously exposed to the inuence of the sea water and cannot be kept in repair during the navigation. A

Owing to this it has'been tried to arrange themines within the pressure-body, Vso that they are kept dry and may be kept in repair. In that case however, large compensa-tion devices are required, and the mines must be ejected through a sluice.

Also a way between has been found by storing the mines on the pressure body below the kupper structure. Then the mines are standing dry from time to time and with quiet weather they may be kept in repair when the submarine is proceeding at the surface of the water. However such an arrangement of the mines causes difliculties with regard to the stability, and already with a somewhat turbulent sea the mines are inaccessible and moreover they are placed in an exposed position.

The obj ect of the invention is to remove all these drawbacks.

According to the invention the submarine is provided with one or more main ballast n may be stored therein.

lVhen the submarine is moving at the surfacethe mines are standing dry so that they may be kept in repair, may be provided with their detonatorcharge or adjustments of the depth regulator may be eifected. Furthermore the mines are well protected, and neither sluices nor bulky compensation devices are required. Moreover the mines when arranged in a main ballast tank have no unfavourable influence on the stability.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. l is a partial longitudinal section of one of the embodiments.

tanks of such a construction that the mines Fig. 2 is a cross section along the line II- H of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal section of another embodiment.

F ig. 4i is a cross section along the line IV IV of F ig. 3. Y

In the embodiment ofthe Figures l and 2 the mines 2 are arranged in two main ballast 

